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NEC responds to disruption at Crufts final

Activists from animal rights group PETA ran into the arena as the winner was being announced.

Image credit: iStock

The televised final of dog-breeding show Crufts, at the Birminghm NEC, was disrupted on Sunday evening when animal rights activists ran into the arena as the Best in Show prize was being announced.

The disruption lasted less than 30 seconds, as security guards swiftly tackled and removed the protestors from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

The final was being broadcast live on Channel 4 and there were 9,000 people in the audience at the NEC.

Crufts and the NEC released a joint statement immediately after the incident, saying they would be reviewing their security procedures.

"It appears that protesters from PETA gained unauthorised access to the ring in the main arena at Crufts, and in doing so scared the dogs and put the safety of both dogs and people at risk in a hugely irresponsible way," said the statement.

"The NEC Group has extensive security procedures in place at Crufts and we, along with the NEC Group, will be reviewing what happened as a matter of urgency."

The NEC also has a security statement on its website, which includes the following: "We don’t discuss specific security details as doing so is potentially detrimental to these measures, however, we continue to have more overt security measures in place including visible security personnel and dog patrols both throughout event periods and at other times at all venues.

"Covert measures are also in place, so visitors should note that while they may not see all operational security activity, they should be assured that activity is on-going, often behind the scenes."

Animal rights group PETA claimed responsibility for the incident on their website, claiming that the practice of dog breeding "glorifies canine eugenics".